Combines were rolling in the south-east of the country earlier this week as the stop-start nature of the 2024 harvest continues for all tillage farmers.
Teagasc’s head of Crops Knowledge Transfer department, Michael Hennessy, commented:
“Growers are getting on with the harvest, but it has been a very slow process, and yields are nothing to write home about. The good news is, that spring crops are looking a lot better than was the case a few weeks ago.
“A very small area of spring barley has been cut up to this point. But for the most part, it will be a September harvest for almost all of the spring crops grown in Ireland this year.
“Harvesting spring barley should be straightforward enough, both in terms of grain ripening and straw management.
“However, when it comes to spring oats and spring wheat, the grains will be mature enough, but a lot of the straw will be very green.
“Chopping this straw is an option. But for those farmers wanting to bale it, the challenge then becomes one of trying to make hay in September. So that could be challenging enough.”
The Teagasc representative has confirmed that glyphosate can no longer be used as a pre-harvest treatment option on crops.
Turning to the prospects for oilseed rape in 2024/25, Hennessy indicated that following winter barley is the normal point of entry for the crop within a rotation.
2024 harvest
The area of oilseed rape (OSR) harvested this year was approximately 5,000ha lower than that recorded in 2023.
Hennessy further explained:
“Last autumn saw a major downturn in the area of winter barley planted in Ireland. So this may well limit the acreage of winter oilseed rape sown over the coming fortnight.
“Following spring barley with oilseed rape is the other option.”
“But this can be difficult. OSR should be planted in August in order to secure optimal establishment and early growth rates.
“A September planting date, however, requires excellent weather and ground conditions right through until the end of October, and these can never be guaranteed in Ireland.”
Meanwhile, The Teagasc Crops Forum will take place in the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, on Wednesday, September 11, commencing at 2:00p.m.
This should be a very informative event, giving growers and industry stakeholders an insight into current topics within the tillage sector.